The director of the Oak Bluffs council on aging has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into the management of a fuel assistance fund connected to the senior center.

Oak Bluffs selectmen voted Tuesday to request a police investigation into the financial activities of director Roger Wey and the council on aging. The vote followed discussion of a memorandum from the town’s special labor counsel, Jack Collins, suggesting the selectmen conduct an investigation “to determine whether laws are being violated and if all monies have been properly accounted for.”

Mr. Wey, who did not attend the selectmen’s meeting, told the Gazette on Wednesday that he welcomed an investigation, but that he had explained the situation to the town last fall. He added that he would have liked to be asked in for questioning by the selectmen. “All they needed to do was to ask me to come and explain it again,” he said.

The controversy concerns a fund that was created to provide help to citizens in need of money to pay for fuel and other emergency needs. Referred to as the Quilt Fund for Fuel Assistance, the fund was originally set up as a town account with proceeds from the sale of quilts made by volunteers at the senior center.

Town accountant Arthur Gallagher told the selectmen he was made aware of an issue involving the fund after a citizen came to town hall asking about a check that appeared to come from the council on aging. The check had been denied at Stop & Shop and was signed by a person who was not an employee of the town, Mr. Gallagher said.

In his account, Mr. Gallagher told the selectmen that Mr. Wey had been brought in for discussion, but conversations with him were “very convoluted,” he said, recalling that Mr. Wey said, “Oh, that shouldn’t have happened.”

Upon subsequent investigation, Mr. Gallagher discovered more evidence of financial mismanagement, he said.

“I found more issues in addition to that check, other instances where other funds were being received by the council on aging and not turned over to the town,” Mr. Gallagher told selectmen.

Mr. Wey told the Gazette that the quilting fund was originally set up as a town account, but on the advice of former town accountant Paul Manzi, its use was discontinued and a new fuel assistance fund was set up under the personal control of Glenna F. Barkan, one of the original quilters. The town account was kept open with a balance of $300, but left dormant, he said.

Speaking to the Gazette on Wednesday Ms. Barkan said that some of the checks may have mentioned the Council on Aging or OBCOA, but that the fund was a personal checking account controlled by her and that neither Mr. Wey nor the council had access to it or signing authority.

“It is not an official group,” said Ms. Barkan. “We weren’t strict about how they make it out,” she said, referring to the checks.

“When Mr. Wey, the director or Susan Von Steiger, the outreach coordinator, find a person who needs assistance, they tell me and I write the check. To Vineyard Propane, or Amerigas (in years past), etc. Never to Roger, always to a fuel company, or maybe to the SSA for someone who needs to go off-Island to a medical appointment.”

In his memorandum, the town’s special labor counsel noted that state law generally prohibits town employees from receiving and expending money for municipal functions without it going through the town treasury.

At the selectmen’s meeting, board chairman Walter Vail said the matter was of concern. “There are checks being written against it, but there is no activity being monitored by our accountant,” he said. “We don’t know what money is going in, what is going out and who controls it.”

Selectmen discussed the actions available to them. Gregory Coogan wondered about the extent of the infractions and whether the administrative leave was necessary.

But Mr. Vail said putting Mr. Wey on leave was warranted.

“The problem that you have is that if indeed there is something bad going on, and he is still there, he is able to provide cover-up and we are never going to get to the bottom of it,” he said. He added: “I don’t want to have something bad happening to this town.”

Ms. Burton said she supported the investigation, but knew the quilters to have sound intentions.

In the end, Ms. Burton, Mr. Vail and Mr. Coogan voted in favor of the paid administrative leave. Gail Barmakian opposed, calling the move “drastic.” She asked her colleagues to consider the incident within the context of other questionable accounting in town which did not warrant investigation. “When you are talking about Massachusetts General Law, it is very strict, and sometimes people are lazy about this,” she said. She advocated that the selectmen instead work it out with Mr. Wey.

Michael Santoro abstained, citing a lack of information.

Mr. Wey has been director of the council on aging since 2005. A former longtime public official, he served eight terms as an Oak Bluffs selectman.

“I want to make it clear that this is an investigation and the presumption of innocence remains,” Mr. Vail said in closing.

Police chief Erik Blake, who was in attendance at the meeting that included an earlier swearing in of a new officer, said his department would begin the investigation Wednesday morning.

This story was updated from an earlier version with additional information and comment from Roger Wey and Glenna Barkan.

Comments (14)

Barry B, Chilmark

I've read this article three times and I still can't make heads or tails of what mr. Wey is being accused of or what exactly happened. I think your reporter should have made things clearer especially since it involves a trusted town leaders reputation. I think this will all be exposed to be much ado about nothing when all the facts are presented.

This is the most confusing article - I agree with Barry. Mr Gallagher seems like he is on a witch hunt for something else? Lets peel back the onion a little more Mr Gallagher and Mr Collins and find out what your really after here.

I am in charge of the Quilt Fund for Fuel Assistance, i can state unequivocally that Roger Wey has done none of the things he is accused of. When I first started the quilt fund, many years ago, i would deposit the proceeds from our quilt raffle in an account at Town Hall. Paul Manzi, then accountant, or treasurer, advised me to make a separate account....so I did. In my letter to Kathy Burton, i should have explained that the monies are not in MY personal account at Edgartown National Bank, but in n separate account entitled Quilt Fund for Fuel Assistance, Mr. Vail, etal, have made a huge mistake. When the police came to my house (yes, police came to my HOME) I printed out an online statement which shows the exact name of the account, activity in it, etc.Can't the selectmen better serve the town taking care of business, instead of harassing its senior citizens and our director. We want to help peopke who are in need, that's all.

Da ja vue, we all remember how the present selectmen used this process before. Well if you don't it was Michael Dutton. He was tared and feathered by this group and had his name dragged through the mud until you thought he was so inept that he could not possible be doing his position correctly. ALAS he was preforming at the highest level his misplaced trust in his subordinates who did not do what they should have and then blamed him for not making sure they did what they where suppose to do. Now we have this.
"Town accountant Arthur Gallagher told the selectmen he was made aware of an issue involving the fund after a citizen came to town hall asking about a check that appeared to come from the council on aging. The check had been denied at Stop & Shop and was signed by a person who was not an employee of the town, Mr. Gallagher said".
WHO was this person and why has this person come forward? I hope in the official police report that WILL be made public and why Roger is being dragged through the mud. My Opinion on this is they have a someone who needs his position that has connections to a selectman, it happen before just ask Michael. Again just an opinion from someone who has seen this before.

"ALAS [Michael Dutton] was preforming at the highest level his misplaced trust in his subordinates who did not do what they should have and then blamed him for not making sure they did what they where suppose to do."
This is an old Vineyard Story. There seems to be an accepted level of dysfunction on this island - in so many arenas. Bring in someone with a little expertise and training and they are chewed up and spit out. How many highly qualified teachers, doctors, and other professionals have we seen move to the island, buy a home, and within a short time have pulled up stakes, never to be seen or heard from again.
Good luck.

Roger and I have been friends for many years, and his honesty is above reproach. In fact, he may be the most honest person I have ever known. To witness someone who has given so much time, effort, and love to this town as Selectman and head of the Council on Aging have his reputation sullied by what amounts to little more than political bullying is reprehensible. To use this as a ploy to free up his position so that it can be given to a sycophant of their (the Selectmen) choice is even worse. Relative to all that Roger has contributed to this town over the years, it brings to mind the old saying: "No good turn goes unpunished." Small town politics aside--get over it!

The newspaper is just reporting on an issue that was addressed at a town meeting. I'm an old banker and can tell u this is how we would've dealt with this situation. If he's innocent he will be cleared. If the town didn't investigate would that make u feel better? I'd rather know what is happening then to have someone cover it up like what appears to be happening at the airport regarding their commission meetings lately. Politics should be clear and honest I know that's a joke but it's how it should be. I don't know Roger and have not based my decision just on a newspaper article. He probably is honest and straight forward. Time will tell.

Dear "Concerned": When you were a banker, would you have handled an investigation such as this discreetly through the HR Department, or would you have called a meeting of ALL bank employees and announced the commencement of the investigation to everyone? Presumably, it would have been the former. This investigation should have been conducted discreetly, and the Oak Bluffs selectmen should have addressed this issue and commencement of a police investigation in executive session. The fact that they chose to bring this nascent investigation to light in such a public and accusatory way is disturbing, and seems designed purposefully and inappropriately to embarrass Mr. Wey.